Tag Archive: wedding weddingmania

Two years ago, I accomplished a personal goal that I never thought I’d see to fruition.

Yeah, basing on the title it’s obvious this entry is long overdue. After all, not only has it been two years since we tied the knot (oops, spoiler alert!), but our son Austin/Oz/Ozzy (more on him in a future post) is almost a year old by the time this entry launches here. Anyway, I’m straying off topic so here I go.

I was just a few months into my relationship with Bianx when we began talking about what we wanted in a relationship. We both sought serious long-term relationships where kids would be in the picture. We both felt greatly at ease with each others personality quirks. We both felt that we were ready to take the next step toward a life together. So we agreed to get married. And to that end, we set an ambitious date for ourselves: December 13, 2014. Or as the numbers would say, 12/13/14.

We started by talking to her parents about it, and we were met with conflicting reactions. Her mom, being rather skeptical of me, made us explain how we were to sustain ourselves once we tied the knot. And as the wife had warned me, she went on to draw a diagram of sorts about the kind of income we needed to sustain a comfortable lifestyle, to which we responded that we most certainly had plans to put up our own business (which now lives as our online store Love at First Bite). Her dad, on the other hand, while suggesting if we could delay our wedding day to have us better prepare for our future, was a bit teary-eyed, which suggested his mixed emotions at knowing his daughter would finally be having her own happy ending. All that time, we held each others hand so tightly that I swore I was close to breaking every bone in it. Eventually, seeing as we had clearly made our minds (and hearts) up, they gave their consent.

Next up were my parents. And when I first told my dad about it, he actually asked this question:

“Son… Is she pregnant?”

I laughed and assured him she was not pregnant, that we had simply made a decision to begin a new chapter of our lives together, and he agreed to it. Over with my mom and sisters, they took this in a more relaxed manner and gave us tips and advice about the big day and life after it. And our friends? They were excited for both of us. My friends were happy for me because they knew I was finally going to be with that person who made my life worth it, while her friends were happy for her because they said that she finally met her match (or was it the other way around?).

So then we started dreaming. How about a wrestling-themed wedding, where we enter to our own music and be wed by a judge in a referee’s attire inside the squared circle? While we both dreamed that, her folks weren’t exactly keen on the idea and wanted something closer to an”orthodox” wedding.

Having gone to wedding expos and receiving tons of advice from everyone on preparing the perfect event, in the end we decided to opt for a simple civil wedding. First, this would keep costs down since church weddings often have additional fees that add up to the over-all bill. Also, since I came from a Catholic background and she was raised as a born-again Christian, a civil wedding ensured that neither side was favored or otherwise, avoiding any potential “hard feelings”.

Next, we relied on our circles of friends and family to provide the needed services for the event. They provided key services such as photography & video services, makeup, catering and presents for the guests. We got most of these at very good rates, and we’re happy to recommend them in case you’re interested. For the wedding gown, her aunt sent her some lovely fabric, which was then made into the dress of the evening.

The months before the wedding descended into a maddening process of preparation, as we worked out each requirement as best as we could between work hours. Securing and paying our friends who provided the services? Check. Getting the Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) ready? Check. Getting that gown ready? Check. Pre-nuptial photo shoot and Save the Date video? CHECK.

Wedding day started early with the house abuzz with preparation, as everyone started getting ready to look their best. Although we had everything planned out as best as we could, it still felt strange and new. There wouldn’t be any turning back, no going back to the old ways, no “restore” button in Windows parlance. This would be a life-defining moment and we were taking the plunge.

Minutes to midnight… Err, matrimony. Because 12/13/14.

6:00 PM. Lavides Garden Venue, BF Resort Village, Las Piñas City. Riding a car one of her friends had loaned, we made our way to the venue. We were greeted by friends and family who were waiting for us, and we soon made our way in. Despite the drizzle that evening, the ceremony was a success and everyone had fun at the reception that followed. We enjoyed heartwarming messages from our loved ones throughout the wedding, and after that we even ended up having an after-party at Mystic Brew across the street.

As we settled in to go to bed after a long and exhausting day, it finally dawned on me. We could sleep together in the same bed and it wouldn’t be anyone’s business. That and I now had a partner for life, someone who I could share sunsets and sunrises with. And I hope I somehow do the same for her too.